Clarke Schmidt landed on the 15-day IL on Thursday with a lat strain, but he will be gone for much longer than that, as Aaron Boone told reporters that the righty will be shut down for nearly a month, and then will have to progress through a rehab assignment.
Translation: Schmidt, in the midst of the best season of his career, is out until August, and BT says it causes more of an issue for the Yankees than many are acknowledging.
“I think it’s a real bigger problem than people realize,” BT said. “You’ll still have five great starters…but now, the luxury the Yankees once had with a healthy Clarke Schmidt, just to keep Luis Gil somewhat fresh, has now expired.”
Schmidt heads to the IL holding an impressive 2.52 ERA in 60.2 innings of work, and now the Yanks will have to make up those innings with Gerrit Cole having yet to start a rehab assignment. He will likely be eased back in, even when he makes his season debut, meaning the Yanks have lost a valuable luxury in Schmidt, especially with questions lingering about the dominant Gil’s workload.
“It complicates their world more than people are thinking,” BT said. “I know Gerrit Cole is coming back, but this strains the rotation a lot.”